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How to Integrate IoT with Wearables to Enhance Fitness & Health Tracking

Sophia — Sun, 12 Mar 2023 09:50:56 +0000

With the rapid advancement of technology, smart devices and wearable technologies have taken an integral place in our daily lives. According to a report by Grand View Research, the global fitness app market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 17.6% from 2023 to 2030.

One of the key drivers behind this growth is the widespread adoption of smartphones worldwide. The fitness industry, like other sectors, has leveraged wearable technology and the Internet of Things (IoT) to provide real-time metrics and information on our health and fitness progress.

In this blog, we will explore how businesses can use wearable technology to enhance their ability to monitor customers’ health and fitness. Let’s dive in!

IoT & Wearables for Health & Fitness Tracking

The Internet of Things (IoT) and wearable technologies have enabled people to take charge of their health, reducing their dependency on doctors to monitor their vital signs and keep track of exercise goals.

A Statista report stated that the Internet of Things (IoT) market worldwide is expected to rise to more than $621 billion in 2030, tripling its revenue in ten years.

Types of Devices Used

Various IoT & wearable devices are designed to monitor & track physical activity, heart rate, sleep, and other vital signs.

These devices are often made small and lightweight and can be worn on wrists, waist, chest, or even in clothing.

Take control of your well-being

Integrate IoT with wearables for advanced fitness monitoring.

Here are some popular types of health & fitness wearables integrated with IoT:

Smartwatches: One of the most well-liked wearables on the market, smartwatches have features like heart rate monitoring, sleep tracking,, and fitness tracking. Some also have GPS built-in, enabling you to track your runs or bike rides without carrying your phone.
Fitness Trackers: The purpose of fitness trackers is to record your daily physical activity, including your steps, distance traveled, and calories burned. Heart rate monitoring , sleep tracking, and even guided breathing exercises are features on some trackers.
Smart Clothing: In the fitness sector, relatively new wearable technology is becoming increasingly popular. Your heart rate, body movements, and other vital signs are tracked by sensors built into these garments. It can be worn all day or while working out to keep track of your physical activity and general health.

Smart Scales: Another type of IoT device that can be used for fitness & health tracking. These scales can measure your weight, body fat percentage, and other metrics to help track your progress toward your weight loss or fitness goals.

Also Read: IoT In Healthcare: Benefits, Challenges And Applications

Benefits of Using IoT & Wearables For Fitness & Health Tracking

Adopting wearables and IoT for fitness and health tracking has many extraordinary advantages, making it a powerful method of improving your health.

Accurate Tracking: IoT wearables can offer precise and trustworthy data on your physical activity, heart rate, and other vital signs, thanks to their cutting-edge sensors and algorithms. Making wise decisions about your health can be made easier if you have a better understanding of your body.
Motivation: You can stay motivated and on track to reach your fitness goals using IoT wearable devices to provide real-time feedback on your physical activity. Numerous devices have social features that let you share your accomplishments with loved ones, which can keep you accountable and motivated.

Personalization: IoT wearables can provide personalized recommendations based on your activity level, heart rate, and other metrics. This can help you optimize your workouts and make more informed decisions about your health and fitness.
Early Detection of Health Issues: Wearable IoT can help you detect potential health issues early on by tracking your vital signs and other metrics. This way, you can prevent minor issues from building into significant health problem.
Convenience: These devices make tracking your physical activity and monitoring vitals easy throughout the day. Many devices are small and lightweight and can be worn comfortably throughout the day.

Embrace the future of fitness

Connect wearables to IoT for enhanced health monitoring.

Integrating IoT with Wearables to Enhance Fitness & Health Tracking

Here are the step-by-step instructions on integrating IoT with wearables to track health and fitness metrics.

Choose the Right Wearable: Select the proper IoT devices for your needs. Consider factors such as data accuracy, reliability, and ease of use. If you need expertise, consult with an IoT development company.
Connect the Wearable to IoT: Choose suitable wearables based on the type of data you want to collect. Wearables come in various forms, including fitness trackers, smartwatches, and health monitors; thus, decide wisely so that you can hire dedicated software development teams accordingly when required.
Develop a Data Collection Strategy: Develop a strategy for collecting data from IoT devices and wearables. Consider factors such as data privacy, data security, and data accuracy.
Establish a Data Processing Framework: Develop a framework for processing and analyzing the data collected from IoT devices and wearables. This can include developing algorithms for analyzing the data and developing dashboards for visualizing the data.
Establish Data Sharing Agreements: Data sharing agreements with the relevant stakeholders, such as healthcare providers or insurers, ensure the agreements comply with relevant privacy and security regulations.
Develop Customized Solutions: Develop customized solutions based on the data collected from wearable IoT devices and wearables. This can include developing personalized fitness plans or providing recommendations for improving overall health.
Monitor & Evaluate: Monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of the IoT and wearable solutions over time. Use the data collected to make improvements and adjustments to the solutions as needed.

Common Challenges in Integrating IoT and Wearables

Integrating IoT with wearables for better tracking of health & fitness can be challenging due to many reasons. The following are the common challenges faced by developers:

Interoperability: It is one of the biggest challenges of integrating IoT with wearables. Various devices may use different communication protocols & data formats, making exchanging data seamlessly between devices difficult.

Solution: Using standardized protocols and data formats, such as MQTT or RESTful APIs, can enable device interoperability.

Cost: Integrating IoT can be expensive, particularly if specialized hardware and software are needed. If a company lacks the right team, it may be required to hire machine learning experts.

Solution: Choose cost-effective solutions, such as commercially available hardware and software, after carefully weighing the costs and benefits.

Security: IoT and wearables can be vulnerable to threats like data breaches and hacking.

Solution: Implement robust security measures, such as data encryption, secure communication protocols, and multi-factor authentication, to protect against security threats.

Integration with Existing Systems: It can be difficult to integrate IoT and wearables with current systems, especially if the systems make use of various technologies or communication protocols.

Solution: Carefully evaluate the compatibility of the systems and choose compatible technologies and protocols, such as RESTful APIs or middleware, to enable seamless integration.

Data Overload: IoT generates a ton of data, but managing and processing it can be overwhelming.

Solution: Implement data management strategies, such as data filtering, compression, and storage optimization, to efficiently manage and process data.

Power Management: IoT and wearables are typically powered by batteries, which can be challenging to manage.

Solution: Use low-power hardware and software, implement efficient power management strategies, and optimize data transmission to minimize battery drain.

Also Read: Internet Of Things (IoT) Reshaping The Current & Future Market

Real-World Examples of IoT Wearables For Fitness & Health Tracking

There’s a huge demand for IoT in healthcare for the many advantages of the technology, especially from a well-being and patient monitoring perspective. Let’s look at some of the most common real-world examples of fitness IoT devices used for health tracking:

Fitbit: One of the most well-known fitness trackers, Fitbit uses sensors to monitor various health indicators, including steps taken, distance traveled, calories burned, and other data. The device can be linked to a smartphone app to offer individualized coaching and insights.
Moov: Moov is a wearable fitness tracker that offers individualized coaching for different workouts, such as running, swimming, and boxing. The Internet of Things (IoT) fitness device has sensors that monitor motion and deliver immediate feedback on form.
Apple Watch: The Apple Watch is a smartwatch with a range of fitness and health tracking features, including heart rate monitoring, workout tracking, and activity rings that serve as visual cues for daily goals.
MyFitnessPal: Users of the MyFitnessPal mobile app can monitor their dietary intake and exercise. The app integrates with numerous wearables and fitness trackers and has a database of over 11 million foods.

IoT devices and wearables are used in healthcare for remote patient monitoring, medication adherence, and chronic disease management.

Integrating IoT can transform how we track and manage our health and fitness and various other industries and applications. Businesses can hire IoT developers to keep up with the latest market trends.

Unleash the full potential of wearables

IoT and wearables for comprehensive health monitoring.

Limitations of IoT Wearables in Fitness & Health Tracking

While IoT wearables have numerous benefits for fitness and health tracking, their use also has limitations. Here are some of the most common limitations:

Battery Life: As IoT wearables require power to operate, the battery life of many devices can be limited.
User Adoption: Wearable internet devices require users to wear and interact with the device, which may only be appealing or practical for some individuals.
Data Security & Privacy: IoT wearables collect & transmit personal health data, which can be sensitive and private. This may lead to security and privacy concerns for the users.
Data Accuracy: While IoT wearables have advanced sensors and algorithms, the data they collect may not always be accurate. For instance, motion sensors may not accurately track all movements, and heart rate sensors may not work correctly for all individuals.
Cost: IoT wearables can be expensive, and not all users may be able or willing to invest in them. AI development companies are working on it and trying to make such devices accessible to all.

Thus, when looking to integrate IoT wearables for fitness and health tracking, it is essential to consider these devices’ limitations and hire IoT developers who have experience working with these technologies and can help navigate them.

Future of IoT and Wearables in Fitness and Health Tracking

There is a promising future of Iot and wearables in fitness & health tracking as people increasingly use sports IoT products.

A report by Allied Market Research stated that the global IoT in the healthcare market will reach $332 billion by 2027, with a compound annual growth rate of 25.1%.

Rising demand for cost-effective & efficient healthcare services, the increasing prevalence of chronic diseases, and the growing adoption of connected medical devices are three significant reasons why healthcare companies are turning to IoT and wearables.

ValueCoders has been empowering international brands by assisting them with AI development and helping them achieve their business objective. We provide cutting-edge AI solutions with a team of highly qualified and experienced individuals.

You can read here how our engineers assisted one of our clients in creating a nationwide IoE platform well-liked by businesses.

Summing Up

Integrating IoT and wearables offers many benefits for health tracking, including real-time data, personalized insights, and accountability.

This rising technology has already made its mark in the healthcare sector and has the potential to transform it further.

We expect continued growth and innovation as wearables become more advanced and IoT more prevalent in healthcare.

The Internet of Things (IoT) market worldwide is estimated to rise to more than $621 billion in 2030, tripling its revenue in ten years. Its future in health tracking is bright, and we can expect to see continued expansion and improvements in this field.

Medical practitioners can gain essential insights from the data provided by IoT devices and wearables, resulting in more individualized and successful therapies.

The post How to Integrate IoT with Wearables to Enhance Fitness & Health Tracking appeared first on ValueCoders | Unlocking the Power of Technology: Discover the Latest Insights and Trends.

IoT in Healthcare: Benefits, Challenges and Applications

Amaira — Thu, 30 Sep 2021 10:21:01 +0000

There have been numerous technologies going around that have created a buzz in the healthcare industry. As we have technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and Augmented Reality. Hence, you see their applications in every sphere or sector, albeit some of those are just overhyped or mere gimmicks.

But the Internet of Things (IoT) is the most flourishing technology, and IoT in healthcare has bought in myriad applications that are more than just gimmicks and are quite useful in reality.

In addition, there is a huge demand for IoT developers apart from just the healthcare sector. Businesses across various industries, including healthcare, are pouring in investments in IoT app development. Let’s have a look at the progress of IoT in the healthcare industry.

Let’s look at some stats to see the progress of IoT in healthcare:

It has been estimated by Business Insider that by 2020, IoT devices in healthcare will be more than 161 million units.
According to a new report from MarketResearch.com, the healthcare Internet of Things market segment is poised to hit $117 billion by 2020.

The stats have said it all. For businesses based on healthcare and professionals working in the medical sector, the time is ripe to work on implementing IoT-based applications in healthcare. But before I tell you how to implement IoT in healthcare, let’s understand the current state of IoT in the industry.

What is the current state of IoT in HealthCare?

It is not tough to say that the healthcare industry is in huge despair. With the increase in population, healthcare services have been costlier than ever. Hence, basic healthcare has gone beyond the reach of people. It has created havoc on the lives of needful, who are in general need of aid healthcare. As a result, the situation is getting worse with each passing year.

Are IOT applications the magic wand to solve issues in the healthcare industry?

I guess Yes! To make healthcare easily accessible with the right diagnosis and treatment, there is a huge possibility of redundant costs as medical diagnosis forms a huge part of hospital bills. This can be taken care of with IoT in the picture. Hence, the right diagnosis done through interconnected IoT applications will also lessen the need for hospitalization.

Want to explore IoT App Development for your next project? Hire Expert IoT Developers Here!

What are the benefits of IoT in Healthcare?

The benefits of IoT in healthcare are:

1) Simultaneous Reporting and Monitoring:

Real-time monitoring via connected devices can save a million lives in the event of a medical emergency like heart failure, diabetes, asthma attacks, etc. With the real-time monitoring of the condition in place by means of a smart medical device connected to a smartphone app, connected devices can collect useful medical and health-related data.

The connected IoT device collects and transfers health data such as information about blood pressure, oxygen, and blood sugar levels, weight, and ECGs. The data is stored in the cloud and can be shared with an authorized person as per the sharing access authority.

In addition, The said person could be a physician, an insurance company, a participating health firm, or an external consultant, and it will allow them to look at the collected data regardless of their location and time!

Revolutionize healthcare with IoT.

Transform your business with cutting-edge IoT solutions

Also Read: Top 10 IoT Development Companies To Build Enterprise-Grade Software

2) End-to-End Connectivity and Affordability:

IoT can help in automating healthcare and patient healthcare workflow through healthcare mobility solutions. IoT in healthcare enables interoperability, machine-to-machine communication, information exchange, and data movement that makes the delivery of healthcare services extremely cost-effective.

Hence, this technology-driven setup can bring down costs by cutting down unnecessary visits and utilizing better quality resources. Thereby improving the process of allocation and resource planning.

3) Data Assortment and Analysis:

For healthcare professionals, managing a vast amount of data is not as easy as it sounds. Data collected in real-time through IoT-enabled mobile devices can be analyzed and segregated through mobility solutions powered by IoT.

This will reduce the collection of raw data and can drive vital healthcare analytics and data-driven insights, which ultimately reduce errors and speed up decision-making.

4) Tracking and Alerts:

Real-time tracking and alerts in life-threatening situations can turn into a savior to safeguard a critical patient’s health with constant notifications and real-time alerts for proper monitoring, analysis, and diagnosis. Healthcare mobility solutions powered by IoT enable real-time tracking, alerting, and monitoring.

This permits hands-on treatments, better accuracy, and apt intervention by doctors hence improving the complete patient care delivery results.

5) Remote Medical Assistance:

It is a terrible situation for a patient looking for medical assistance, yet being unable to connect to a doctor due to hindrances such as location and lack of knowledge. The problem has got its fixture in the IoT-enabled mobility solutions that can help patients with proper medical assistance on the go.

Patients can take medical prescriptions right at home through healthcare delivery chains connected to patients through IoT devices.

There are two sides to this coin. IoT applications in healthcare have also met several challenges on the way

Transform your healthcare organization with IoT technology.

Transform your business with cutting-edge IoT solutions

What are the challenges of IoT in healthcare?

1) Data Security and Privacy:

One of the most significant challenges faced by IoT is Data Security and Privacy. IoT-enabled mobile devices capture data in real-time, but most of them lack adherence to data protocols and standards.

There is significant ambiguity regarding data ownership and regulation. Hence, the data stored within IoT-enabled devices are prone to data thefts and it makes the data more susceptible to cybercriminals that can hack into the system to compromise personal health information.

Some examples of misuse of IoT device data are fraudulent health claims and the creation of fake IDs for buying and selling drugs.

Also Read: IoT vs AI: The Difference Between Internet of Things (IoT) and Artificial Intelligence (AI)

2) Integration: Multiple Devices & Protocols:

The integration of multiple types of devices causes hindrance in the implementation of IoT in the healthcare sector. The reason behind this hindrance is that device manufacturers haven’t reached a consensus regarding communication protocol and standards.

This results in a scenario where every manufacturer creates its own separate ecosystem of IoT devices that do not work with the devices and applications of competing manufacturers. In such a situation, there is no synchronous protocol that could be followed for data aggregation. This non-uniformity slows down the process and reduces the scope of scalability of IoT in healthcare.

3) Data Overload and Accuracy:

Due to the non-uniformity of data and communication protocols, it is difficult to aggregate data for vital insights and analysis. IoT collects data in bulk and for proper data analysis, the data need to be segregated in chunks without overloading with precise accuracy for better results. Moreover, the overloading of data might affect the decision-making process in the hospitality sector in the longer run.

4) Cost:

You might not be surprised to see this point here. Costs are one of the greater challenges when planning to consider IoT app development for healthcare mobility solutions. However, the costs are completely worth it if the IoT implementation is one that solves a genuine problem.

While you will spend a significant amount of money and resources in developing an IoT application, the returns will be equally huge when your business saves time and manpower, all while improving the business processes, generating more revenue streams, and creating more business opportunities through IoT.

What are the applications of IoT in Healthcare?

IoT applications in healthcare are meant not just for the healthcare institutions, but for the patients too! In a nutshell, IoT in healthcare does the following:

Reducing emergency room wait time
Tracking patients, staff, and inventory
Enhancing drug management
Ensuring the availability of critical hardware

Now, these benefits cannot be realized without the various types of IoT devices leveraged in the healthcare sector, some of the popular types of IoT devices are as follows:

1) Hearables:

Hearables are touted as the new age hearing aid for people who have suffered hearing loss and have lost interaction with the real world. The way IoT-powered devices have transformed the world with hearing aid solutions is commendable.

Hearables are compatible with your smartphones, you can sync your Bluetooth with the device. It also allows you to filter, equalize and add layered features to real-world sounds.

One of the prominent examples of Hearables is Doppler Labs.

2) Ingestible Sensors:

A genuine modern science marvel, Ingestible Sensors are well, ingestible pill-sized sensors that get inside our bodies to monitor the medications and warn users/doctors in case of any irregularity. These sensors can be a boon for diabetic patients as it would help in curbing symptoms and provide an early warning for diseases.

One of the prominent examples is Proteus Health, which is used for better insights, analysis, and care.

Related Blog: Top 8 Healthcare Software Development Companies To Outsource Your Project

3) Moodables:

A mood-enhancing device that can help in enhancing your mood all throughout the day! It might sound fictitious but it is not far from reality.

Thync and Halo Neurosciences are already working on mood elevator sensors. “Mood-ables” are head-mounted wearables that send low-intensity current to the brain to elevate mood.

4) Computer Vision Technology:

Computer Vision Technology along with Artificial Intelligence has given rise to drone technology which aims to mimic visual perception to enable decision making based on it.

Drones like Skydio, use computer vision technology to detect obstacles and navigate around them. This technology has also greatly helped visually impaired people to navigate effectively.

5) Healthcare Charting:

IoT-powered devices reduce much of the manual work. For instance, a doctor has to use IoT devices during patient charting. Here, IoT sensors can measure all types of od data such as blood pressure, body temperature, etc., and chart it all into an app connected to measurement devices through IoT.

In addition, it makes the patient’s data readily accessible for review. Such an IoT application could save up to 15 hours/ week of a doctor’s manual charting.

How would you want to apply IoT in HEALTHCARE?

In Conclusion, we know that IoT has clearly changed the game of the healthcare industry. Healthcare is one of the most critical industrial sectors unaffected by every major technology except for the Internet of Things. In addition, IoT app development has changed the way facilities and services are delivered in the healthcare sector.

So, if you want to jump into this transition, hire IoT developers, set up a project, and take a step towards building the future of healthcare. Moreover, there are many leading IoT development companies that have been providing a pool of IoT development services but there are only a few who deliver as per client requirements and expectations.

We at ValueCoders, have experienced IoT developers working on multiple IoT-based healthcare software projects.

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